New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-10-01

TIE DEMOCRATIC TARIFF PL4TFORM
The Democrats Of New ork propose to take
of forthwith duties now yielding $780,
100000. beginning with the removal Of duties
from materials OF industry, and then removing
or reducing the duties OF ncccssarics of life and
the clothing Of the people. II is timely TO asccr-
tain what changes in ra.es of duty this would
involve. In THE TRIBUNE Of August % APP
pcared an analysis Of imports for the last
fiscal year, and though the amount Of duties
collected from imports of each class is not vet
officially announced. il may be closely estimated
by comparison OF the amounts collected under
the same tariff upon the imports Of the pre-
vious year. The rates Of duty were nearly 81
per cent On articles OF food sugar included.
and live animals; so per cent on articles Of
voluntary use and Injuries 40 per cent on
manufactured articles ready for consumption,
and 30 per cent on partly manufactured articles
and crude materials. At these rates. the rev.
cnuc collected last year from articles of food,
including sugar and live animals, would be
about S6O,6OO,OOO; from articles Of luxury
or voluntary use, $2s.75O,OOO; from crude
materials, Sl3,600OOO from partly manu-
featured articles $40. 700, 600; and from manu-.
featured articles ready for consumption, $685.
100000 This accounts for about S213. 900 900
of the customs revenue out OF S217,OOO,OOO
during the past twelvcmonth, the remainder
being derived from duties on articles not so
specified in official reports that they could be
classified.
The absolute repeal Of all duties on crude
materials would therefore cut off about 3d.
If bn
100000 to be taken of other imports. II is
not proposed to take off any of the duties on
luxuries. The remaining dutiablc articles all
yielded last year $40, 100000. More than
half the entire duty y therefore in some
W. to of in olucr to carry out the
Democratic plan. II is possible for a Demo-
cratic politician to pretend that the party
means first to take of all duties on sugar. about
S50,OOOOOO in all. If that were the true
meaning Of the platform, it would involve a
reduction Of $40, 4OO, 900 from the revenue now
yielded by duties On manufactured and partly
manufactured articles. But that is not at all
what Democratic partisans intend, as they have
proved by the repeated votes Of their Repre-
scntatives in Congress. The party actually
votes to take off duties from sugar and from
! iuidttWtu dftitico la dDout tqudl
tons. The platform just adopted must there
fore be construed as demanding such rcduc-
ton rather than any other In that case, moro
than half the present duties must be removed.
because reduction from the present average
Of so per cent to 20 per cent would largely in
crease imports, not indeed of sugar.
for the consumption Of that article
would not materially increase,
and this country produces in sugar
made from Louisiana cane, from sor-
ghum, beet and maple syrup, only onc-ninth
of its entire consumption. The increase in
imports, in that event, would be mainly in
products.
Imports of manufactures arc valued at about
S23S. 100000. The country now produces
annually Of the same classes about 81, 400
600 900 in value, or nearly six times as much.
Prostitution of the home manufactures, there
fore. would open a vast field to importers.
while even serious depression Of the great